Soy Bean Sprouts

Our Soy beans are from sources that are Certified Organic. They are also Certified Non-GMO - as are all of our seeds. A nutritional powerhouse: The Soy Bean. Our Soy comes from a source which is certified organic.

Growing Basics

The amount of time your seeds should soak in cool water. Soaking is how we begin the sprouting process in most cases.

Rinse / Drain

2 - 3 times per day

How often your seeds should be watered. Rinsing thoroughly and then draining as much water as possible are key components to growing great sprouts.

Harvest

2 - 6 days

The time it takes to grow a finished Sprout, or other crop (Micro-Greens, Grass, Greens) from a dry Seed. Note: This "finished" Sprout is our preference. you may grow them for as long as you want! In fact, we suggest that you taste them at every rinse to discover when you like them best.

Yield

2 to 1

The amount of Sprouts, Grass, Greens or Micro-Greens produced by 1 unit of Seed. For Example 2:1 means that 1 pound of Seed will produce 2 pounds of Sprouts or whatever crop you are growing. You do not have to grow them all at once of course, unless you wish to =:-D

Taxonomy

Put 1/2 Cup of seed* into a bowl or your Sprouter. Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70°) water. Mix seeds up to assure even water contact for all. Allow seeds to Soak for 2-12 hours.

Soy often prefers to Soak for a shorter time. It is best to check them after 2 hours to see if they have all softened. If they have, proceed as below, if there are still hard seeds then let them keep soaking until they are all soft (up to 12 hours). We have grown over a ton of Soy Sprouts in our day and we find that 4 hours is usually the right soak duration. If you over-soak Soy they may fall apart (split in 1/2), and so will sprout poorly or even rot. You really must take an proactive approach when sprouting Soy.

Empty the seeds into your sprouter if necessary. Drain off the soak water. You can use it to water house plants or whatever - it has nutrients in it. Rinse thoroughly with cool (60-70°) water and Drain thoroughly.

Set your Sprouter anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal) between Rinses. This is where your sprouts do their growing. We use a counter top - in the corner of our kitchen, but where the sprouter won't get knocked over by cats, dogs, kids or us. We don't mind the indirect sunlight or the 150 watts of incandescent light, because light just does not matter much. A plant can only perform photosynthesis when it has leaves. Until then light has little if any effect, so don't hide your sprouts. When leaves appear this will be plenty of light for them to green up! When we're sprouting Mung Beans we may choose a darker corner, but 99% of the time we just don't avoid light.

Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours. And, once more... Rinse and Drain again in 8-12 hours. And, perhaps once more... Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours. And, if you insist - once again... Rinse and Drain in 8-12 hours.

We like our sprouts small. A root of 1/16 - 1/4 inch is all we want, so we stop when most of the sprouts have reached that size. That can be as soon as 12 hours after their Soak, or after a few days. Soy Beans vary a lot. It is likely that not all of them will even sprout. As long as most of them do, we consider the crop a success.

Depending on your climate and the time of year you are sprouting and most importantly your personal preference - You may Rinse and Drain again at 8-12 hour intervals for up to 6 days. We Do Not recommend doing so, unless you're doing a science experiment.

As always, we suggest that you taste your crop at EVERY RINSE - including the very first - just after the Soak period. The soaked seeds are already alive and super nutritious - and - they are now without enzyme inhibitors (a very good thing indeed!) so they'll digest themselves and nourish you. But, as we say elsewhere on this page, we Sproutpeople do Not eat Soy Bean Sprouts raw because we find them difficult to digest. Everyone is unique of course, so you'll need to decide for yourself if you want to eat them raw or not. You can steam a few of them lightly to try them if you decide raw doesn't work for you.

Harvest Your sprouts are done 8-12 hours after your final rinse. Be sure to Drain them as thoroughly as possible after that final rinse.

The goal during the final 8-12 hours is to minimize the surface moisture of your sprouts - they will store best in your refrigerator if they are dry to the touch.

Refrigerate Transfer your sprout crop to a plastic bag or the sealed container of your choice - glass is good too - and put them in your refrigerator - or eat/prepare them now. We have Produce Storage Bags that will extend shelf life substantially.

* If using Sproutpeople's Single Harvest Pack use the whole bag in a 1 quart Sprouter.

Remember that the beans yield will be approximately 2:1, so in theory you can start with as much as 1/2 as much dry seed as your Sprouter has capacity. We advise 1/4 - 1/3 so that you have some room to move while sprouting.

This famous nutritionally rich seed turns into a sprout which you may want to cook before eating - it's not a must, you'll have to ask your digestive system. Not all Soy Beans will sprout. Ours usually will, but as with all of our seeds they are intended - and selected by us - for sprouting. Soy requires more attention to detail than most other sprouts.

Soy doesn't have as high a germination rate as most beans, but ours are generally pretty good - with about 80% germinating. Soy comes in different shapes - sometimes they are round, sometimes oblong. In ALL cases our Soy is not only from sources which are certified organic, our Soy is also ALWAYS Certified NON-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)! All of our seeds are Non-GMO of course.

This year our soybeans sprout better than usual. They do well with a 4 hour Soak.

When you first mix your Soy Beans up in water you may see some foam (sometimes more - sometimes less). It is good to Prep Soy before Soaking, it will remove some of the starch from the water in which they are going to soak which will help them take up water and will make your post-soak Rinse easier too.

Soy will sprout better with more frequent Rinses. We Rinse and Drain every 4-8 hours.

Disclaimer

Soy is highly sought for its famed nutritional value, but as a sprout it is often difficult. The beans often split while sprouting and discoloration is not uncommon - especially if you over sprout or don't drain well enough. Their flavor, while pleasing to some is unpleasant to others. We offer these because many folks want them, but we need to warn you that we do not guarantee you will like them. As with all of our seeds - these are good sprouters, but we will not buy them back if you don't like them.

Big Soy Sprouts?

We've not tried this - but we've seen Soy Sprouts big and thick rooted in Asian Markets - like Mung Bean sprouts. We don't like Soy enough personally to fit it into our schedule, but here is how to grow big, thick rooted Mung Bean sprouts: To do this you will need a Sprouter which drains from the bottom (Easy Sprout is the perfect choice), and you'll need to add these procedures to your growing schedule:

•When you Rinse, do not disturb the seeds/sprouts. The beans need to stay where they are - to form a mass that is unmovable. Rinse longer - with lower water pressure (if your sink has a sprayer, use that) during the first 2-3 days - until they are firmly in place.

•Keep your sprouter in as dark a place as you can without limiting air flow too much: Don't put them (or any other sprout) in a closed cabinet or closet, etc. Darkness is a VERY over-rated element in sprouting! Just minimize it by using a darkish corner in your kitchen.

•Apply a weight directly to the beans while in the sprouter (between Rinses. We recommend using two Easy Sprouts. We fill the Solid Base (of the Easy Sprout that we aren't growing in) full of water - and snap the Flat Solid Lid onto it. We then put that Solid Base right on top of the beans between Rinses. You can rig something else if you like - using Easy Sprout or another sprouter.

•On the 3rd day, or when your beans are solidly in place (they won't be budged by water), soak the sprouts for 10-20 minutes in cool water. If you are using Easy Sprout all you have to do is leave the Growing Vessel in the Solid Base (that in which it always sits between rinses) and fill it up.Rinse well after this soaking.

•As the sprouts grow you can reduce the weight on them to nothing by the last day. The sprouts themselves form such a tight mass that they apply their own weight.

•You may skip the last Rinse - allowing your sprouts to grow for 24 hours without water. They will generate more heat (which all sprouts do as they grow - at every stage) than usual and can gain substantial mass during this period. There is a slight danger in this - that the sprouts will generate too much heat and will start to slow-cook, but it is a very rare problem. Do it when your house is cool, but skip it during hot weather.